July  i,  1892.] 
THP  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
*3 
taught  the  people  the  art  of  husbandry,  and  instituted 
the  practice  of  holding  markets  for  the  exchange 
of  commodities. 
Tea  was  highly  esteemed  in  nearly  every  ancient 
Asiatic  city  near  the  sea  and  was  used  as  a royal 
gift  from  the  Chinese  monarchs  and  great  mer- 
chants to  the  potentates  of  the  East.  To  the 
Rajahs  of  Kandy,  the  Sultans  of  Ceylon,  the  Sho- 
guns and  Damios  of  Japan,  were  sent  gifts  of  care- 
fully selected  samples  of  the  leaves  packed  in  pre- 
cious boxes.  Some  of  these  presents  must  have  been 
worthy  of  a crown.  One  is  thus  recorded : l’  It 
weighed  40  catties  (about  50  pounds,)  and  each  leaf 
was  perfect  in  color,  size  and  age.  The  leaves  were 
divided  into  parcels  of  five  maces  each  (a  little  over 
half  an  ounce,)  and  each  parcel  was  wrapped  in 
fine  white  paper,  and  these  in  turn  wrapped  in  pure 
silver  foil  and  put  into  little  bags  made  of  bright 
colored  silk.  A hundred  bags  were  placed  in  a por- 
celain jar,  whose  lid  was  securely  fastened  and  sealed, 
and  each  jar  was  protected  by  a box  of  camphor- 
wood  trimmed  with  silver  hinges  and  ornaments.” 
In  the  list  of  the  Princes  to  whom  these  presents 
were  made  are  many  whose  identity  would  be  other- 
wise lost  in  history.  Prom  the  old  writings  many 
curious  facts  are  thus  obtainable.  Among  other 
things  it  appears  that  Korea  was  at  one  time  a 
formidable  power,  military  and  naval ; that  the 
Japanese  at  long  intervals  changed  from  peaceable 
neighbors  into  marauders  and  free-booters;  that 
Manipur,  Assam,  Burmah  and  Tong-Quin  at 
various  epochs  were  strong  belligerent  communi- 
ties in  the  far  east ; that  Cambodia  and  Cochin- 
China  were  populous,  rich  and  war-like  civilizations, 
where  now  the  tiger  prowls  and  the  serpent  glides ; 
that  the  Island  of  Ceylon  was  the  scene  of  brilliant 
and  brave  dynasties  which  followed  one  another  like 
the  waves  on  the  shore,  and  that  at  times  the  Tartar 
nomads  who  live  to  the  North,  Northwest  and  West 
of  Asia,  were  gathered  into  great  armies  and  nations 
by  unknown  Tamerlanes  and  Zenghis  Khanns.  The 
presents  of  tea  from  the  Flowery  Kingdom  to  kingly 
neighbors  are  humble  monuments  to  the  wash  of 
dynasties  and  empires. 
Before  the  time  of  Confucius  it  had  supplanted 
every  other  fluid  for  assuaging  thirst.  Its  sanitary 
excellence  was  appreciated  by  Shen  Kung,  a cele- 
brated scholar  and  philosopher,  who  said : “ Tea  is 
better  than  wine,  for  it  leadeth  not  to  intoxication, 
neither  doth  it  cause  a man  to  do  foolish  things  and 
repent  thereof  in  his  sober  mbments.  It  is  better 
than  water,  for  it  doth  not  carry  disease,  neither 
doth  it  act  as  a poison  as  doth  water  when  the  wells 
contain  foul  or  rotten  matter.” 
That  the  use  of  tea  was  universal  is  borne  out  by 
one  of  the  maxims  of  Confucius,  the  wisest  man  of 
China,  when  he  said  : “ Be  good  and  courteous  to 
all,  even  to  the  stranger  from  other  lands.  If  he 
say  unto  thee  that  he  thirsteth,  give  unto  him  a 
cup  of  warm  tea  without  money  and  without  price.” 
At  the  time  of  Buddha,  China  was  enjoying  as 
large  foreign  commerce  in  tea.  It  v/as  carried  by 
her  junks  to  .Japan,  Korea,  Tong-Quin,  Anam, 
Cochin,  Burmah,  Siam,  India,  Ceylon,  Persia,  and 
Arabia.  According  to  one  record  it  was  sent  to  a 
great  flat  river  country  west  of  Arabia,  which 
must  have  been  Egypt,  from  which  it  was  sepa- 
rated by  a long  and  very  torrid  sea.  It  was  car- 
ried by  caravans  to  Manchuria,  Mongolia,  Kuldja, 
Tartary,  Thibet,  Persia,  and  Northern  India.  This 
commerce  flourished  for  centuries  and  culminated 
in  the  dynasties  of  Hung-Fung-Chi  about  1600  A, D. 
From  that  time  there  was  a slow  but  steady  de- 
cline to  the  reign  of  the  present  sovereign,  Kwang 
Hsir.  In  the  past  twenty  years  the  decline  has 
been  something  terrible,  the  trade  today  being  scarcely 
one-quarter  of  what  it  was  in  1870.  Nor  is  the  out- 
look promising  to  the  tea-planter  and  patriot  in  any 
respect.  In  every  district  the  industry  is  on  the 
verge  of  bankruptcy  ; the  demand  from  abroad  yearly 
diminishes  ; the  people  themselves  are  taking  to  other 
beverages ; while  the  taxation  necessary  to  Govern- 
ment which  in  the  former  years  of  prosperity  was  a 
mere  trifle,  now  threatens  ;..i  utter  extinction  of  the 
tea  trade  of  China. 
There  are  many  interesting  facts  to  be  gleaned 
from  the  old  books  in  relation  to  the  tea  trade.  For 
example,  there  is  no  doubt  that  China  was  far  more 
liberal  in  her  commercial  policy  when  ruled  by  her 
own  people  than  she  was  after  the  Manchu  Couquest, 
1641  A D.  Before  that  time  are  many  allusions  to 
traders  and  merchants  from  various  countries,  and 
to  the  exportation  and  importation  of  goofs  of  all 
sorts.  I find  references  to  bronze  works  and  porce- 
lain from  Japan,  weapons  and  pottery  from  Corea, 
cloths  and  other  woven  tissues  from  Indo-Chinese 
territories,  and  ivory  and  tortoise  shell  from  Ceylon 
and  Arabia. 
Tue  transactions  were  on  a large  scale  and  re- 
quired quite  a navy  of  junks  and  cargo-boats.  In 
several  instances  are  refeenoes  which  can  only 
be  explained  upon  the  theory  that  the  mercantile 
classes  of  the  East  had  established  some  system  of 
marine  insurance.  After  the  Manchu  Conquest,  there 
was  a very  great  change.  Foreign  trade  seemed  to 
drop  out  ot  existence,  as  it  were,  and  foreign  traders 
(cat  all  statue.  The  condition  of  affairs  continued  for 
nearly  two  centuries. 
In  roading  between,  the  line3  of  the  tea  trade,  the 
meat  striking  faot  is  the  profound  change  wrought  in 
Chinese  life  by  the  influence  of  Europe,  and  especially 
the  European  steamer  in  the  prosent  century.  It  is 
a peaceable  revolution.  In  the  early  part  of  the 
eighties  the  great  cities  were  in  the  interior  and  only 
a few  communities  on  the  sealoard,  aud  these  of  no 
po'itical  importance.  Today  everything  is  just  opposite. 
Canton,  Kowloon,  Hong  Koqg,  Swatow,  Amoy,  Takow, 
Shai  ghai,  and  the  Yaugt-te  River  cities  are  drawing 
to  themselves  the  trade  and  wealth  of  the  ernpiro,  and 
the  old  inland  cities  are  visibly  falling  into  ruin. 
Fekiug,  the  present,  an  I Nanking,  the  ancient 
capital,  aro  scarcely  half  as  large  as  they  were  a 
hundred  years  ago.  They  di.-play  all  the  symptoms 
of  decay  and  death.  In  (the  seaports  the  popula- 
tiou  is  c mprised  chiefly  of  “ Young  China,”  ener- 
getic, enterprising,  and  commercial,  and  iffers  a 
marked  contrast  to  the  conservative  and  literary 
communities  of  the  int-rior.  From  the  form  r will 
come  the  rulers  and  po  icies  of  the  next  century. 
Even  today  their  power  is  to  so  great  as  to  bo  a 
stumbling  block  to  the  Madarins  and  a menace  to 
the  imperial  Government-.  The  tea  market  in  Amoy, 
and,  I am  informed,  in  nearly  all  the  tea  cities  of 
China,  opens  according  to  the  agreement  of  the  dealers 
eni  speculators,  who  either  hold  it  back  or  rush  it 
forward,  according  to  circumstances.  This  is  one  of 
the  tricks  of  the  trade,  and  there  are  more  tricks  in 
the  tea  trade  of  the  East  than  in  any  other  civili- 
zation known  to  man.  Ihe  true  inwarduess  of  this 
particular  trick  is  as  follows:  Two-thirds  of  all  the 
tea  growers  in  this  province,  including  Formosa,  arc 
poor  men  who  have  to  borrow  money  to  raise  and 
move  their  crops.  Thev  obtaiu  the  needful  money 
from  heathen  usurers,  native  merchants,  and  Christian 
tea  exportets.  It  makes  little  difference  to  whom 
they  apply,  as  each  charges  10  per  cent  per  month 
on  the  I an,  and  takes  the  land  and  growing  crop 
as  collateral  security,  and  imposes  the  hard  con- 
dition that  he  shall  have  the  firBt  choice  of  buying 
the  new  leaf  at  the  market  rates.  As  the  crop 
come  in  tie  money  lenders  hold  back  and  bear 
the  market  as  much  as  it  will  stand,  and  do  nothing 
until  there  aro  signs  of  revolt  among  the  farmers. 
Then  they  buy  largely  at  the  lowest  figures,  and  shortly 
afterward  jump  the  prioes  up  so  as  to  prevent  inter- 
ference from  less  long-beared  operators. 
This  year  the  quality  is  slightly  tetter  than  la. 
In  fact  there  has  been  a steady  improvement  during  the 
present  decade- 
While  Formosa  is,  practically,  a new  tea  country, 
it  appears  to  possess  unlimited  possibilities.  Its  crops 
increase  in  quantity  as  well  as  quality.  Formosa  pro- 
duces three  crops  of  tea  snnually.  The  first  and 
second  crops  for  the  present  season  are  already  in,  and 
estimated  as  follows:  First  crop,  200  000  half-chests, 
each  averaging  forty-three  pounds.  The  second  crop 
rescind  100,000  half-chests,  a very  heavy  advance  on 
that  of  last  year,  which  was  only  45,000.  The  price 
